Has anyone ever purchased the New Home or Singer child's sewing machine for a very young child? One the box the New Home says it has an adapter - the singer says batteries. Would either be good for a 5 yo?

My DIL just bought the Singer for 5year old daughter. Is child proof but I think hard to thread and the little one keeps unthreading it. The secret is to sew slowly but the control goes up to fast, which kind of scary. Don't know about the New Home.

I won an auction for the little Singer Child's machine and I agree...it's very hard to thread and keeps coming unthreaded. Both my 4 yo DGD and 6 yo DGS get frustrated trying to sew with it. I think I'm going to just get a simple older model machine and put a regulator on the pedal OR get a handcrank for them to sew on.

I just found at a yard sale a little vintage Singer Merritt 1/2 size machine that has seperate settings for slow or fast, the foot pedal just makes it run. I got it for my granddaughter who is 7.
I have read good reviews of the Kenmore 3/4 machine made by janome. It has some zigzag stitches and priced under $100. (Same machine as the blue HELLO KITTY, but white plastic)
I think the machines made just for kids are usually not worth the money. Better to get a small real machine that will sew nicely and last.

My daughter got one of those plastic toy singers when she was about 5 for christmas -- after fighting with it for a few hours it went in the trash. I sat her down at my machine with the speed control on slow and showed her where to keep her fingers away from -- by the time she was 6 she was sewing on my old machines with no speed control with no worries - she keeps her hands well away from the needle.